Tag Archives: College

Most students are finishing up finals and ready for a month full of sleeping, eating, and more sleeping. What better way to reflect on the emotional roller coaster that is finals week than to see it told by my favorite Friends character, Rachel Green?

When you’re studying all night and know the answer to everything this course could possibly throw at you, but you come across something the professor never mentioned.

When your friends ask how much you’ve studied for your next final.

That feeling when you know you’ll be sleeping a maximum of 4 hours and running on coffee for a week.

Turning in your final to the professor knowing that you didn’t study hard enough but tried your best.

When it finally hits you that you’re done and ready for the long break ahead of you.

When you …

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Not every test you take is going to give you the grade you wanted or expected. Life can get crazy, and sometimes not everything goes as planned. When you receive a grade that isn’t what you were hoping for, it can seem like everything is going wrong and that you will never be able to bounce back. I am here to debunk that myth and give some tips on how to overcome a bad grade.

Learn from it

The biggest take away from getting a bad grade is that you can learn so much from it. If you studied and still got a bad grade, maybe its time for some new study habits. If you are in need of some study tips you can check out my past blog here. This grade also gives you an insight into where you need to focus more time.

Don’t dwell

Getting a bad …

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It’s that time again! School has been in session for a little bit now, you are in a routine, and things seem okay. Then, it hits you. The smell of free swag, pamphlets, and the feeling of uncomfortable conversations overcome you. Yep. That’s right. It’s career fair time. It’s no secret that a lot of people try to avoid career fairs because they either don’t want to put in the effort of dressing professionally, networking, or just going through the whole process of what a career fair really entails. I am here to prove that myth wrong.  Fun fact: career fairs can be used for more than just class credit and free stuff!  Career fairs are a really great way to see amazing possibilities that could lead to future careers. It is a time to network in an environment designed for you.

Career fairs can be scary, but I have …

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The weather outside seems to be consistently cold, and not in a cute, Instagram-worthy seasonal kind of way. There’s been rain, and lots of gray skies. If you’re a student, you’re in the midst of a heavy workload. If you’re working, daylight hours are decreasing, and you’re probably waking up when it’s dark, and heading home when it’s nearing sunset. Everyone is likely feeling the effects of burnout, a state of physical or mental exhaustion after prolonged exposure to similar stressors. Here’s how to fight it.

Take breaks throughout your day.

Personally, I know that I’ve always tried not to take breaks, both when I was in college and now. I worried that they would distract me and ruin my productivity. It felt like a sign of weakness. This is the wrong perception of breaks.

Taking brief breaks is proven to help with your focus during prolonged work and fight …

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“State of Change” is a documentary that aired Sept. 6 on WFYI. For those who missed it (it’s now available online), the film follows three Indiana students – Shannon, Dengke and Jaedyn – as they take a road trip around the state, interviewing different professionals in some of Indiana’s leading industries. Each student comes from a unique background and has questions about their future that they’re looking to answer.

It shows a time many know well, whether you’re a high school or college student; an entry-level or seasoned professional. The transition from graduating high school to entering college and charting the path for your future can be a difficult one.

The interviews led to valuable lessons: the path to your ideal career doesn’t have to be linear, a career field’s work might differ from your assumptions and the importance of interacting with a variety of people in a field you’re …

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Ah, the month of August. The air is getting cooler, the corn is growing tall, the humidity is disappearing…and it’s time to go back to school. As you make the transition from swimming pools and sunbathing to lecture halls and homework, you may be in need of a couple tips to help you survive that first month back.

Show up to class
It’s always extremely tempting to blow off the first few weeks of class, but once you finally decide to show up, you’ll realize you’ve already dug yourself into a hole. Those classes in the beginning will provide you with an overview of the course and the expectations you’ll need to meet if you want to succeed. If you aren’t there for those first few days, you’ll miss that information. Plus, college is expensive! You don’t want to pay for something that you aren’t even utilizing.

…

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Get familiar with your schedule

Adjusting to your daily schedule is one of the most essential parts of being a put-together student! I’m sure you’ve already forgotten what classes you registered for, so pull out that schedule and try to envision what this semester will look like for you. When will you have time to study? Work? Exercise? Do extracurriculars? Get a trusty planner and figure it out.

Get organized

Let’s be real, you’ve probably blocked out all thoughts of school this summer—I don’t blame you! Save yourself the stress at the last minute and figure out what needs to be done before you start school again. Do you know what you need for your dorm/apartment? Do you have notebooks, pens, pencils, folders? Are your textbooks ordered?

Get back on a schedule

Unfortunately, your daily schedule at school is probably more demanding than the summer schedule you’re on …

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As final papers, projects, exams and fall internships come to an end, students are left feeling an odd combination of relief and exhaustion. Take time during winter break to relax and decompress. Here’s a list of some soothing activities to leave you feeling recharged and ready for the spring semester:

1. Catch up with family and friends
If you go back to your hometown during winter break, plan an activity to catch up with old friends. Spend time baking with your grandparents, or catch a movie with your siblings. It can be difficult to coordinate plans between breaks, so savor the time you have at home.

2. Read a book
Find a cozy spot, grab some hot cocoa and read something that isn’t required for class. The New York Times compiled a list of the top 10 books from 2016

3. Sleep
After I finished my finals, …

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Autumn brings many things, but more importantly it brings college final-exams and football games. While the connection between college students and NFL players may seem stretched, both feel the pressure to perform their best and succeed. NFL players are portrayed as aggressive and mean, however there are many other emotions they experience that college students can relate to their upcoming final exams.

Preparing for Finals

College exams sneaking up on you, like:

Don’t let your final exams hit you in the face (so-to-speak) like this NFL player. Pay attention to the dates in your class syllabi and plan ahead. By scheduling time to study weeks before your exam, you’ll be more prepared and score those extra points on the test.

When you try to form a study group with your classmates, and it doesn’t go well.

When they work, study groups are a great way …

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Should I get a part-time job? Should I go to the gym this morning, or just skip it and have pizza for lunch? Well, since I have a test tomorrow, maybe I should go to the library. But it looks way too nice outside to stay indoors. Should I start looking into graduate schools? Ugh! Decisions, decisions, decisions…

If you’re anything like me, then this is a typical day in your life. Let’s face it – every day we encounter choices in our lives. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we’ve already made hundreds of decisions throughout the day. Some are conscious and intentional, like choosing outfits, deciding what to eat and when to walk the dog. Other decisions are made subconsciously and automatic, much like how our brain solves problems and processes memories from the day during our sleep and dream cycles. …

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The month of August means one thing for students, the start of fall semester. If you’re interning this semester as well, it can be difficult to manage your time effectively. From my personal experience, it’s best to stay calm and organized.

The first step in balancing school and an internship is to create a schedule. Online calendars are a great tool to utilize (Google and Outlook are my personal favorites). If you prefer having a hard copy, there are many planners available for purchase.

Once your school courses are scheduled, you’ll need to determine your internship hours with your mentor. It helps to bring a copy of your school schedule to coordinate your availability. Then, you can input the hours of your school courses and internship into your calendar.

If you’re planning to include tasks and deadlines in your calendar, it may be easier to have separate calendars for school …

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As spring semester is coming to a close, reality is setting in. Graduation is near (or has already passed for some of you), and the stress is overwhelming. School-project deadlines are approaching, upcoming final exams, and the biggest struggle of all: job searching.

If you haven’t started searching for jobs, do it now! For months I have been stalking Indeed, CareerBuilder, Charitable Advisors and various organizations’ websites for available positions. The biggest issue I’m having is a lack of experience/education.

I’ve started thinking maybe I’m just picky or aiming too high. A position of Assistant Director could be a leap for a recent graduate, but it somewhat matches my ideal job description. Could there be a person in a level below the assistant director who could be promoted and I’d take their spot?

My biggest regret in college is only participating in one internship. If I had known I would …

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May is the month of graduation! Students will proudly don their caps and gowns while hoping they don’t trip on the stage. Here’s a collection of GIFs to help prepare you for that special day.

The pride of completing your degree

The satisfaction of completing your degree is hard to beat. You’ve spent years attending classes, studying, working on projects and stressing over exams. Now, you’re hard work is being rewarded by a diploma. You should feel proud of yourself, graduating is a major accomplishment. As Kelly from The Office would say, “You’re, like, really smart now.”

Thinking about continuing your education?

This is a question you’re going to hear a lot when you graduate. “What is your next step?” “Are you considering graduate school?” It can be a difficult decision. You should weigh your options and decide what is best for you. If you’re like …

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Each April brings a lot of stress to college students. It signifies the approaching end of the spring semester. The characters of New Girl seem to understand the stress of college at this time of year.

Let’s be honest, a college student is usually stretched for time anyways. As finals are approaching, time becomes more strained. Trying to find a few minutes to eat can seem impossible. Just remember, food and water are essential to human life.

The spring semester brings prospective students to campus to tour the grounds and crowd the line at the coffee shop. If you’re in the thick of finals week, these fresh-faced young people may seem foreign to you. Just remember, you were once in the same position they are in, and one day they will be in yours.

At some point, you’re going to realize what …

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1 . Struggling through another PowerPoint presentation.

All professors have a different style of teaching. Some will write material on the dry-erase board, provide printed materials for you to follow along with, or utilize the magical PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint is a great tool for classroom lectures, but you might only get half of your notes if you’re a slow writer. Professors may post these presentations for the class on Blackboard or Canvas. If not, students have resorted to taking photographs of the slides using their phones and later copying the information into their notes.

2 . Spending hours writing a paper and forgetting to click save.

This might have been the worst moment in Kevin’s life, spending all that time cooking the chili, bringing it to work, carrying it up the stairs only to spill it before anyone has a chance to taste it. The …

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